Czech referee Simon Vejtasa banned from football for 15 years over bribery
The 33‑year‑old former top‑flight official was suspended and fined after being found guilty of corrupt conduct; he denies the charges and will appeal.
The Ethical Committee of the Football Association of the Czech Republic has handed a 15‑year ban to former top‑flight referee Simon Vejtasa after finding him guilty of corrupt conduct. In addition to the suspension, the 33‑year‑old was ordered to pay a fine of 150,000 Czech crowns; Vejtasa rejects the findings and has announced he will appeal.
Matches under scrutiny
The disciplinary decision focuses on three fixtures involving Baník Ostrava’s reserve side in the Czech third division played between 2021 and 2023. Investigators concluded that Vejtasa accepted cash payments in order to influence the outcome of two of those games.
According to the case record, the first contested match was Baník Ostrava II against Znojmo on 17 October 2021, which finished 4:2 to the visitors. The second incident dates to 2 October 2022, when Baník won 3:1 over Frýdek‑Místek, and the third game examined took place in September 2023 against Start Brno (2:1).
The sanction bars Vejtasa from performing any refereeing duties for fifteen years and carries the monetary penalty on top of the ban. He has said he will contest the committee’s ruling through the appeals process.
The punishment forms part of a wider probe into illegal betting and match‑fixing that opened in March 2026. The inquiry covers dozens of matches across multiple levels of Czech football, including youth competitions, and is being pursued in parallel by the federation’s disciplinary bodies and police forces.
Photo: press material from the event
